Jindal announces funding for Nicholls, Manning camp

Friday

Jul 12, 2013 at 11:00 PMJul 12, 2013 at 11:59 PM

An unscheduled visitor brought good news to Nicholls State University and the Manning Passing Academy.

Teddy RenoisStaff Writer

An unscheduled visitor brought good news to Nicholls State University and the Manning Passing Academy.Gov. Bobby Jindal made a surprise appearance at Friday's scheduled press conference for the Manning Passing Academy at the Century Club Room in John L. Guidry Stadium. He was there to announce that Nicholls will receive $1.2 million in appropriations to make improvements to the 20-acre plot of land that holds 25 football fields the academy uses to teach 1,200 campers.Jindal said these improvements were needed not only for the future Manning Passing Academy but for the safety of the campers that attend each year."I am excited to be here not only at Nicholls but to be here with the Mannings," Jindal said. "We are here to announce that we are investing $1.2 million of capital outlay dollars to improve the field here at Nicholls. This will provide better drainage and make the fields safer for kids who come here every summer to work with the Mannings and get skills and memories that last a lifetime."Besides drainage, the improvements also include a pump system, 50,000 feet of pipe, electricity, new sod, grass seed and 20,000 cubic feet of sand.Jindal said the funding will be approved and he anticipates the work to begin in eight weeks and the field to be ready for the 2014 Manning Passing Academy."These improvements are good for the academy, but it is good for Nicholls, and I want to thank the folks here and the people at the South Louisiana Economic Council for working to get this done. This academy has a $1.8 million impact to our state," Jindal said. "Archie just wanted it to be safer for the kids, and we are in south Louisiana and it rains this time of year. We wanted a working drainage system to help these campers and the future of this academy."Manning, who host the camp with his sons Peyton, Eli and Cooper, said he never had any intentions of taking the camp elsewhere, but the improvements will make the entire experience more enjoyable for the campers."Everyone associated with our academy want to thank the governor and senator (Norby Chabert, R-Houma). I said before, we've enjoyed our experience in this area and certainly the people here at Nicholls have been great to us," Manning said. "We came here right after the (New Orleans) Saints left, and we just ran out of grass at Southeastern Louisiana. This big field is one of things, beside the hospitality, that attracted us to here. Last year, it was one of those years with rain, and with these kids coming from all over, it is not right to have them in a parking lot doing drills. This will make sure they work on grass, and we can work when it is wet, those fields can soak it up fast when it is light. We are thankful and looking forward to being here for many years." Jindal also thanked Chabert and state rep. Lenar Whitney, R-Houma, for their work in securing the appropriations for the improvements.Chabert was an undergraduate when the Saints held training camp at Nicholls for three years ending in 2002. Chabert said after watching the Saints leave town, he felt it was important to keep the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls."I am an alumnus from Nicholls, and I know how important the Manning Passing Academy is to this university. When I was an undergrad, we had Saints training camp and we lost it. It was the second time we had Saints camp, and we lost it," Chabert said. "We didn't do what was needed to keep that economic engine in this area. Once I was elected, I was committed to do everything we could, as a state, to ensure this camp stays here. We needed to do this as a state to make sure this camp stayed in Louisiana, and it is a tremendous economic impact for this region and state."